Boys and Their Socks

It is a well-known stereotype that girls often develop specific loves for their shoes. Little girls might spend most of their time, in the morning, selecting which shoes to wear with which outfit. These little girls then grow into big girls who linger in the Nordstrom Shoe Department.

No surprises, here.

What I didn't know about, was the potential for the same kind of obsession in boys....only the obsession is with socks.

Yes, socks.

My son is eight. In his short lifetime, he has already gone through at least three "sock-stages."

First came the regular white sock.

It must not ever be any color, other than white. It must be this height on his leg. It must not have any other writing on it. I bought these in bulk, thinking, wrongly, that I'd be set for years.

Suddenly, we entered the no-show sock phase.

Now, we must never wear any sock, higher than this. It would be a most humiliating experience to arrive at school without his entire leg showing, between the end of his shorts and the top of his shoes. Indeed, he informed me at one point, these socks even made him faster.

Out went the tall socks, and the drawer was quickly filled with this newer model.